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- Letters Patent No.v dated August 18681,'.

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To ALL-WHM VItriinnz cantonais:` `Y i l Be it known that I, WILLIAMdrstownih,ofv`Baltino're, in 'the' county of Baltimore, and State ofk Mary.

- land, ha've invented n new andnimproved'Modefof 'Locking Nuts ;l and I do hereby declare that the following is a clear, full, andexaot description theroofpreference being had'to' the accompanyingfdrawings, melting n part offthisspecication, in whichff f v f .f.

Figure lis a perspectivelview,'showing portions of two sections of vrailroad-rails s pliced'together, and

having myiniproved nut-lock applied.

Figure?. is a side view off-e. rail-splice, showing two nuts applied to bolts which pass through it, one of which. nuts is locked, and the other is in a position for being locked, by turning up the endsy of the washer shown behind it. v

Figure 3 is a cross-section of a rail and splice-bars, showing a mode of securing the head of u bolt, as woll asitsnut, from turning.4 l I' Figure 4 is a. perspective view of the washer before it is bent. n

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.`

` The object of this invention" is' to furnish a very simple and e'ectivo means whereby nuts, when set up tightly upon bolts, can be'safely locked,i andl prevented from 'becoming casually loose, at the sume time rendering' it very easy teloeaen 'and nnscrew ,the` nuts when desired to remove their bolts.

Thenature of m'yinventiou consists i'n the employment of a washer of greater area than that of the nut -for which it is intended, nnd.in seatingsuch washer into a recess whichl is formed in the surface of the object against which the nut is to bve-setup, so that when the-nut is screwed up tightly upon its bolt, and one'or more edges of said washer are turned up against the edge or ed'ges'of the nut, the latter will be securely locked in place, as `.will be hereinafter described.

lTo enable others skilled in the art to understand my invention, I will describe Onepractical mode of carrying-it into effect. v

i In the accompanying drawings, l have represented my invention applied to bolts which are used for securing together thefends vof railroad-rnils, but I shall not confine myself to this application of my invention, las it will be found useful wherever it is desired to prevent a nut from working loose upon a bolt.

'y A A represent the ends of two sections of railroad-rail, which are secured together by means of two splices or fishing-bars, B G, placed pnthe sides ofthe sections, under-the lips thereof, and confined against the necks of ,these sectionsby means of bolts D D passed transversely through them, as shown in figs. 1 and 2. This is one of the oldest and simplest modes oi` securing together railroad-rail sections at their joints. I

. The bar B is rolled or otherwise constructed, with a score or groove, a, in its face, extending throughout 4its "length, into which nre fitted the headsof the bolts D D, which latter areslightly rounded for this purpose.

lnsteadoi` the curved score or groove at, a rectangular groove may be made, which will receive a square-headed bolt, thus rendering it unnecessary -to round the abutting surfaces of the bolt-heads.

l The bar C, which is secured` upon the opposite side of the rail to the bar B, and against which the nuts b b are screwed, is constructed with a rectangular groove, c, in its face,rextending throughout its leugth,'which groove may be made of any desirable width and depth.-

The groove which I have represented in this bar C is made slightly wider than the width of the nutsb, but it may bc -made narrower than these nuts, if found necessary.l

The object of this groove c is to receive and hold in place awasher, g, which is a thin, rectangular-plate, of-

lsuch width as to fit snugly into the groove c, and having a hole through i-t, as shown in g. 4.

This plateis slipped upon a bolt, an'd seated into the recess or groove c, after which a nut isi-applied upon the bolt and set up tightly. The projecting ends of theplateg are then bent outward, and driven snugly against* the'sides of the nut, 'as shown in iig. 1,'thus 'forming a lock which will prevent the nut from .becoming loose. The nlateg may be equal to or greater or less in thickness than the depth of the groove c, and it may be made ofsuch length as to have only` one of its ends turned up toform a lock.

The drawings represen-t thc locking-plates g applied in e groove, which is'n the plane of the rail's length, but, if desirable, the said' plates may bo applied in grooves, which are made at right angles tothe length ofthe rail or lits bar C. y v

I prefer to have the groove c run in a direction with the length ot' its bar, C, for the reason that this groove can bo much easierjnade, in the act of rolling said bar, than the vertical or transverse grooves.

To remove n. nut, b, from a. bolt, after' it. has been locked, as above set forth, it is onlyenecossary to press thev end or ends of' the plate -g down into the groove c, which will allow the nut to'be unserewed. I

I am aware' that it is not new'to employ washer-plates held by means of two or more bolts in line', and. having portions of their edges notched and upset against nuts, for the purpose of locking the nuts in pluce,and therefore I do not lay-claim broadly to the broad principle of turning up a portion of a.' fixed washer-plate, after u nut is screwed home, so as to prevent such nut from turning or unscrewing.

I consider my improvement to be much simpler, cheaper, and susceptible of a more general application than the nutlocking devices heretofore employed or essayed, involving noclmnge whatever in the present construction of bolt-s and nuts, and onlyfrequiring the'use ofI thin perforated plate of wrought metal, and a groove or recess made inthe object against which a nut is'roqured to be screwed. l Having-described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to securqby Letters Patent, is-' The1ocking-plate g, having plane surfaces, in combination with a grooved sost, c, both constructed vsubstantially 'as described, and serving the purpose ot fastening nuts'upon bolts, as set forth.

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lllitqrnessesl.:l i

Jem. J. CHAPMAN, Msx LINDAU. 

